


The Soul in a Sword

by Asdrator



Category: Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu | Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War
Genre: Angst, Anniversary, Established Relationship, Interquel, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:00:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28261290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asdrator/pseuds/Asdrator
Summary: On the anniversary of his marriage to Shannan, 5 years before the second generation of Genealogy of the Holy War, Oifey goes out to buy gifts for his husband. What he finds, however, is rather unexpected.
Relationships: Aoife | Oifey/Shannan
Comments: 3
Kudos: 13
Collections: Fire Emblem Christmas Rare Pair Exchange 2020





	The Soul in a Sword

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ava_Writes_Alot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ava_Writes_Alot/gifts).



On a clear day in Tirnanog, where people went freely about their ordinary lives without trouble, Oifey strolled through the marketplace, a bag on each arm. For once, he wasn’t buying groceries here; for the children of Lord Sigurd’s army, one man wouldn’t be able to get enough anyways, no matter how much he carried. Even setting aside how many of them there were, they were growing children, so it was only natural that they would eat a lot. It was hard to believe how much they’d grown in just the blink of an eye, but at the same time, it felt like it had been an eternity since nearly everything was lost to the treachery of Arvis. In the end, however, it had really been 12 years, and Oifey thought it was always best to stay focused on what was fact, uninfluenced by emotions such as regret or hatred.

That said, perhaps being influenced by love wasn’t the worst thing in the world.

Rather than buy groceries, he was out buying supplies of another sort, which was to say he was buying gifts for his dear husband for their anniversary. It wasn’t at all difficult to figure out what to get him, but actually managing to find what he needed was a different story. Though he was fortunate (or perhaps unfortunate depending on how you looked at it) enough to have a keen eye for quality, Shannan was picky when it came to things he liked- which, since they were in love, Oifey figured must mean he was a pretty good husband to Shannan- making it difficult to find items that met his standards. In the end, however, he owed it to him to give it his best shot. So far, he actually had managed to find a few of the items on his list, such as an impressively high grade whetstone and a simple but well-made hair tie, but others still eluded him.

He didn’t even want to think about the difficulty involved in finding a new blade for Shannan until he had to.

Oifey greeted the villagers of Tirnanog as he passed by them, recognizing a face here and there. It was a friendly enough village ordinarily, and for a member of the remnants of the late Lord Sigurd’s army that was their only hope for future freedom, it was downright welcoming. It was hard to imagine that their group could have survived this long had it not been for their generous refuge and unwavering support. One day, when- and it was when, not if, because the alternative was too terrible to imagine- Jugdral was free once more, he and Shannan would have to return here to offer their gratitude and recompense for a debt they could never truly repay. Until then, they would just have to smile and say their thanks when the villagers displayed their boundless kindness towards them.

Managing to find some more of the gifts he wished to give to Shannan, Oifey noticed that the sun was getting low in the sky, and glanced at his list once more. The sword was all that remained, he realized with a grimace, and so he turned once again in order to start towards the village blacksmith, in spite of his dread. Shannan was famous even among the villagers themselves for holding the forging of swords to a higher standard than anything else; unsurprising, for the heir to the throne of Isaach, land of the blade. Not that knowing of this tendency made it any easier to work around it, but Oifey loved Shannan enough that he would find a blade that suited his fancy. It was the crown jewel of his anniversary gifts after all.

Having visited both of the two village smithies without finding nothing of interest, Oifey finally made a visit to the weapon store. A freshly forged sword would have been more impressive, but it seemed that in a village like Tirnanog, the requisite skill for Shannan’s tastes simply didn’t exist. Pushing open the door to the shop, Oifey was greeted by rows and rows of weapons on the walls, and a sleepy young man behind the counter, who seemed to have just noticed his entry. “Hello, Mr… ah, Sir Oifey, it’s you. Didn’t recognize you at first.” The young man said, grinning. Being a local celebrity certainly had its perks. “What brings you here today? You and Shannan are our best customers.”

Glancing from wall to wall, Oifey nodded in acknowledgement. “Hello there. It just so happens that today I’m looking to buy a sword for Shannan. You know a little about his tastes, don’t you?” For some unknown reason, Oifey’s words made the young man’s eyes light up, with any trace of tiredness gone from them.

“A present for Shannan, is it…? Heh.”

For a moment, Oifey frowned. “Is there something wrong with that?”

“No, don’t misunderstand! It’s just… well, you’ll see soon enough.” The young man’s smile now contained a hint of mischief, as though he knew something that Oifey didn’t. “I have just the thing for Lord Shannan, anyways. Wait right here.” After a minute in which Oifey stood wondering what he could have meant by that, the young man returned with an iron sword finely wrapped in cloth. “This is said to have once been the sword of Chulainn, son of the late Lord of Sophara. Not just an Isaachian blade, but one made for nobility as well. What do you think?”

“Chulainn, huh…” Oifey muttered with a sad smile. From what he had heard, the poor man had been one of the first to perish at Belhalla, brought low by a meteor spell. With such an unimaginably excruciating fate, it was a miracle that they had managed to recover his sword.

“Is something the matter?”

That snapped Oifey out of his memories. “No, my apologies. It’s perfect. How much for it?”

After paying and saying goodbye, Oifey began his journey back to the secret base of the Liberation Army, gifts in hand. After being let in by Ulster- he’d have to remind the boy to be more careful about answering doors later- he set the gifts down in the dining room and waited for Shannan to return from his daily training.

Only a few minutes later, his husband walked into the room with an unfamiliar sword at his side, his face lighting up with a smile upon seeing Oifey. “Happy anniversary, my love.” Oifey told Shannan, holding out the blade for him to inspect. “It… belonged to Chulainn, supposedly. I thought you might appreciate it, if nothing else.”

Shannan blinked twice, before smiling regretfully with a deep sadness in his eyes. “I’m glad that… if nothing else, this part of him will live on.” Oifey didn’t have to ask to know that swords were as vital as limbs to the Isaachian nobility. Soon, Shannan’s regrets passed, and he accepted the gift gratefully, holding it close to his chest. “Welcome home, cousin.” He muttered, just loud enough for Oifey to hear.

After a few peaceful moments, Oifey pointed to the sword Shannan had at his side. “If you don’t mind my asking, what’s that? Did you just buy a new sword today?”

In response, Shannan laughed and shook his head. “No, no, this is your gift, dearest.” Putting down Chulainn’s sword on the table, Shannan took the sword in its sheath from his side and handed it to Oifey tenderly. It was of Grannvalean make and composed of fine steel, Oifey could see, although it had dulled with time. “You see… I found this at the weapon shop in the village. The merchant says that this was wielded by Sir Naoise in his final days, and while there’s enough fakes out there to make me cautious, this one… well, it’s the spitting image, you know?”

“Sir Naoise…” Oifey repeated, almost too stunned to take the blade from Shannan. After a moment of staring at it, no doubt remained in him that this was indeed the one held by Naoise, who had once been a friend and mentor to him. Even as he smiled fondly at the sword, Oifey choked back a sob. “Thank you, my love. Thank you so much. Now he might watch as we ensure all their deaths were not in vain.”

“There’s nothing to thank me for, Oifey. What you found is just as dear to me.” Oifey set aside Naoise’s blade, and Shannan embraced him, holding his husband close. When at last, together, they found their peace, they broke apart and Shannan smiled widely as he looked into Oifey’s eyes. “By the way, these other gifts you bought for me… they wouldn’t happen to be chocolates, would they?”

“Only your favorites, of course.”

“You spoil me too much.” Shannan chuckled. “I can’t possibly eat all of these by myself. Why don’t you help out?”

“I thought you’d never ask.” Oifey winked mischievously.

“...Always the strategist, aren’t you, Oifey?” Shannan again shook his head with a merry grin. After giving Oifey a tender kiss on the cheek, Shannan opened the nearest box of chocolates.

When night fell and the two of them rested in their bed, Oifey gazed at Shannan, who held his hand as though afraid to lose hold of it. That was always the fear, inescapable in these times. Even so, Oifey knew that so long so Shannan never let go of him, neither would he. Perhaps this had been what Lord Sigurd had felt on that fateful, unknowingly tragic day he had met Deirdre: a fear of loss greater even than a fear of death. Not that Oifey planned to die easily with Shannan around, but if it meant that his love would see just another day, he would give anything. He was sure Shannan felt the same way.

Of course, he intended to see as many more anniversaries as Naga allowed him to. Though it was unlikely they would ever have an anniversary to match this one, Shannan seemed to grow more and more handsome with every second that Oifey looked at him.

If this was what being in love with Shannan felt like, then Oifey wanted to feel it until the end of their days together, and beyond if such a thing existed.

For though the flesh may be finite, his feelings for him were infinite.


End file.
